WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Howard Berman (D-Van Nuys) announced that their joint legislation to honor Bob Hope unanimously passed the full House of Representatives today. Schiff and Berman introduced the bill in early September to name the post office located at 135 E. Olive Avenue in Burbank, California for Bob Hope.
"A testament to Bob Hope’s many contributions to veterans, active duty troops and the field of entertainment, our legislation to honor him passed the full House of Representatives unanimously today," Rep. Schiff said today. "When I was in Iraq in August, I visited a commissary named after Bob Hope and saw first hand how much his visits to the troops meant to them. An honorary veteran, Bob Hope's legacy will be that of a wartime and peacetime soldier, always fighting to bring a smile and a piece of home to U.S. troops around the world. I am pleased that my colleagues have joined Rep. Berman and me in honoring Bob Hope’s numerous contributions to our country."
"Bob Hope was a loved and well-respected representative of Toluca Lake, and it is a privilege to join Rep. Schiff in offering him this tribute," said Berman. "He was an unmatched talent who entertained us for decades on radio, television and in the movies, but he will always be especially remembered for the laughter and comfort he brought to American soldiers serving throughout the world."
Born in 1903, Bob Hope started his entertainment career early in California with a radio show at the NBC Studios in Burbank. In 1938, Bob Hope's weekly radio show - the "Bob Hope Pepsodent Show" - made Hope a national celebrity and the show ran for ten years until 1948. In 1941, Hope performed for U.S. troops at March Field in California, beginning a long tradition of military performances. For decades, Hope entertained troops at military bases bringing laughter and a bit of home to U.S. servicemen and women overseas.
Hope has been honored both as a goodwill ambassador and entertainer over the years. In May 1993, NBC named its studios for the entertainer and in 1997, he was named an honorary U.S. veteran by Congress for his 50 years of entertaining troops around the world. On his 100th birthday - May 29, 2003 -- President Bush established the Bob Hope American Patriot Award, and a famous Hollywood intersection was named for him.
The City of Burbank has a history of honoring Bob Hope. In 1989, the city of Burbank renamed a portion of Catalina Street near NBC studios Bob Hope Drive. Bob Hope and his wife have been long-time residents of the Toluca Lake neighborhood of the Burbank/Los Angeles area.